


Birdfolk

by KoraCorvus709



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative universe- wings, Child Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Team as Family, Toph's parents are even worse than in canon, Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26343727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoraCorvus709/pseuds/KoraCorvus709
Summary: In the avatar universe, most animals are an amalgamation of two animals and humans are no different having the wings and tails of a bird.(Wingfic Dabbles that follow the Gaang)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is pre-s1, so Sokka may come off as a bit mean. I'm still trying to get a hang of writing for this fandom.

### Flight lessons

It was a clear morning in the South pole, no snow falling from the sky, no winds sailing over the ice. The only thing in the sky was the sun illuminating the sky.

It was a great relief to the small Southern Water Tribe. After a week straight of nothing but snowstorms, they were running low on supplies and eager to stretch their wings. 

The first person to emerge from their igloo was a boy. The Oldest male currently in the tribe, it was his job to make sure it was safe for the women to let their children loose in the freshly fallen snow. 

He looked at the sky. No clouds.

He looked across the ice. No predators.

"Coast is clear!"

Like the bursting of a damn, chick-kids poured out of their homes. Sokka smiled as he saw a few trying to leap into the sky, their tiny underdeveloped wings flapping like an otter-penguins. They were almost old enough to fly on their own.

Sokka was ten when he learnt. His father carried him to the highest glacier and flew down to the bottom. Sokka was scared and couldn't even bring himself to open his wings up. Yet, his dads waited patiently, yelling words of encouragement until the chick-kid leaped down off the glacier. Sokka broke his leg.

Sokka frowned, with all the men gone, these chick-kids would have no one to teach them how to fly. Well, there were their moms, but who would teach them the cool stuff? Like diving into water for fish or swooping at predators? Girls didn't do that! 

"Hey chicks, come here!"

All the children looked up from their snow and hesitantly surrounded the older boy.

"Listen here, today I'm gonna teach you how to fly!" He announced, spreading out his broad, brown wings.

One of the kids raised their hands.

"Yes Tala?"

"Momma says she was gonna teach me."

"Well i'm gonna teach you the cool stuff!" He announced, "get on your parkas, we're going out camp!"

…

"Sokka, I really think you should just leave this to their mothers."

Katara wrapped her wings around her body for extra warmth. They looked much like her brother's- large, dark brown waterbird wings. However, unlike her brother, she didn't have the iridescent blue patches her brother bore on the underside of his wings.

"Trust me Katara, I know what I am doing," Sokka replied marching through the snow with the village's kids in tow.

"Do you even know the first thing about teaching chick-kids to fly?"

"Of course I do!" Sokka defended, " I'm gonna do like what Dad did."

"Dad only did that because mom couldn't! " Katara protested, "and you broke your leg because of it!"

Sokka didn't listen and instead turned to the kids, "Alright Chicks, climb up on that glacier right there!"

The boy pointed to a tall piece of ice which the men of the tribe used to perch on to get a better vantage point over the ice.

"Sokka, no! That's too tall!"

The children nervously scooted closer to the older girl. 

"It's not, I'll show you," the boy said.

Sokka took a running start for the edge of the ice shelf and leaped into the air. He soared straight up into the sky and spun around like an arrow.

Show off, katara thought as the children wow'ed. They didn't see much Aerial acrobatics since their moms rarely left camp with them in tow, so anything impressed them.

Sokka landed gracefully on the top of the iceberg. The fresh snow crunched under his weight. 

"See? It's all safe!" He called down to the ice shelf, "One at a time, it's smaller than I remember!"

Katara sighed, "who wants to go first?"

…

"Alright, keep your wings open wide to glide, flap your wings to gain altitude. Ride the ocean breeze to save energy."

Tala stood frozen on the top of the iceberg next to Sokka. 

"Now all you need to do is jump," he instructed.

The small child stared down at the water in horror.

"Come on buddy, just jump."

Nothing.

"Don't you want to fly?"

"I'm scared…" Tala answered, pulling her wings closer to her body.

"Come on, don't be a wimp your instincts will take over. It'll be easy."

"I'm not a wimp!"

"Then show me that you aren't"

The little Girl looked over the edge hesitantly. Closing her eyes, she tiptoed close to the edge.

"Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll catch you!" Katara yelled from down below.

"You promise?"

"We promise!"

A wave of bravery came across the little girl as she stepped close to the edge. Suddenly a cracking noice rung through the pole.

"What was that?" Tala asked Sokka.

"That's the sound of an iceberg breaking."

"... like the one we were on?"

Sokka couldn't even answer because the ground fell away. 

"SOKKA, TALA!!"

…

"And that's how Sokka broke his leg again," katara told a giggling Aang.

"Hey, Tala still learned how to fly didn't she?" Sokka grumbled.

"Yeah, after almost being crushed in ice."

"Still learned tho."


	2. The Flightless Prince and The Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko finds the Avatar, has self esteem issues, and wing envy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place in ep 1-2 and is from Zuko's Pov. 
> 
> Bird species key:  
> -Ozai and Iroh are based off birds of paradise  
> \- Ursa is a peahen  
> \- Zuko is a peacock, but inherited the coloring of a bird of paradise (Azula didn't but since she is female you she is just brown and you can't tell)  
> \- Aang is a Wandering Albatross (the bird with the biggest wingspan of the world)  
> \- The water sibs are based off ducks

Prince Zuko had long tail feathers.

Bigger than his wings, longer than his own body, he could raise them above his head in a magnificent display. The people of the court used to praise his extravagant plume. His train was colorful and well groomed. Every morning, servants would help him groom the long gold and red feathers.

Ursa used to tell him he looked like her father, the grandfather he never met. She recounted how he had the same long tail feathers. She used to hide underneath his train when playing with her mother, her father pretending he didn't notice. She didn't inherit the plume as a woman, but she passed down the impressive peacock display to him.

Ozai took delight in how Zuko had his Gold and red feathers opposed to the greens and blues of Ursa's kin. No member of the fire royalty should be seen with another nation's color- even in feathers. However, color is where the resemblance ended. Ozai's tail was made of wispy, gold and white feathers that fanned out under his deep red wings like the sun's rays. Two feathers were longer and darker than the rest, curling into a twist at the end. An impressive display that didn't get in the way of moving.

It was hard to fly when your tail is bigger than your wings. From a young age, Prince Zuko has learnt that he was simply not meant for long term flight. He could glide and perform many acrobatic feats impossible for most with long, heavy trains such as his, but he couldn't fly nearly as far as his peers.

In the scrolls that Zuko found at the air temples, it is stated that air nomads were almost completely migratory. Some could fly for forty days without ever touching the ground. Some could sleep in the air. Some would nap on their air bison, who would join them in migration. When they ran out of supplies, they would land and stay for a few weeks before taking flight again.

It was because of these scrolls that an image formed in the teen's mind of the avatar. He saw an ancient man who survived his people by running away. A man that never stayed any place too long so no one ever recognized him. A lonely man. A cowardly lonely man.

That is why Zuko was surprised to find instead a preteen who feared no god. 

He found the boy at the South Pole, hidden among the Water Tribe. He was easy to pick out from the crowd with his yellow clothes and unusually large wings. The people of the Southern Tribe were mostly water birds with the odd Eagle and owl thrown in. Their wings were an array of browns, whites, and blacks- none of the bright colors that Fire Nation birdfolk proudly displayed. 

There were less people than he thought there would be- probably due to the raids. It seemed all the men of the tribe were gone or taken. He only saw a single male,, a boy with brown wings and face paint who dove at him without thought. Even flightless, he was able to evade the untrained ameture though.

"Where is he? Where is the avatar?" He fanned his tail out to appear larger. Golden and red feathers rose above his head, shimmering in the light of the south pole like the flames of a campfire. 

The women of the south shrunk back, hiding the chickkids under their wings. The male got back up on his feet and spread his wings in a defensive stance, showing off large patches of iridescent blue under his wings. In his hands, he held a weapon.

The boy charged at him again, but Zuko grabbed his arm and flipped the waterbird over his head and threw flames at him for good measure. The tribe boy threw something and Zuko ducked out the way. He was going to fry this miserable chickenhog!

"Show no fear!" One of the chicks shouted.

The boy charged at the prince with a spear in hand. Zuko grabbed the water tribe spear and snapped it into splinters, using the remaining shift to knock the water stage to the ground.

Whoosh.

Suddenly something hit Zuko in the back of the head. What the flameo was that?! A boomerang fell to the ground. I'm going to burn your wings off.

Then suddenly, the avatar soared in- or rather slender in. He was younger than he thought- 100 years younger. 

"Looking for me?" The chick asked.

He had the oversized albatross wings featured in the air nomad scrolls. Over three times his body length, but still covered in the slightest but of chick fluff that hadn't yet yet been replaced by his adolescent plumage. He had such a big wingspan, but it will still get bigger as he ages. Zuko felt envious, but ignored the feeling.

"You're the airbender?" Zuko asked incredulously, "You're the avatar?"

"Aang?" One of the girls of the tribe gasped in surprise. 

Zuko jumped for the airbender. The airbender was more agile than Zuko, but he could easily overpower him.

"I've spent years preparing for this encounter! Training. Meditating. You're just a chick!"

The avatar flew a few feet away from him.

"Well, you're just a teenager," he retorted, almost confused at the prince's observation.

This angers the young prince and he fires a blast at the boy. The avatar (aang, apparently) spun his staff around, blocking the flames. Women and chicks cried out in fear. The albatross chick froze.

"If… if I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone else alone?"

Zuko blinked in confusion. Was he giving up? That easy?

One of the girls ran to the avatar, she had wings identical to the boy who attacked him before. The girl pleaded for the boy to stay but he still gave himself up and walked to Zuko.

"Head a course to the Fire Nation! I'm going home!"

Zuko finally did it! He finally got the avatar! He could finally go home!

Zuko's wings puffed out in joy, but he smoothed them down to regain composure. He was a prince, he couldn't be flapping his wings about like a baby chick.

The prince made his way over to his desk and pulled out a roll of parchment. He needed to write to his father. He put a quill to paper as a noise sounded throughout the walls of the ship. It sounded like wind.

The avatar! He must have escaped. He shouldn't have left him with his incompetent crew. 

The sound of wind was louder. Zuko glanced at the boy's staff. He must be coming for that. The prince dropped his quill and pressed his body against the wall waiting for the avatar to come.

The door exploded with a gust of wind. A whorl of white and grey feathers filled the room. The avatar was here. 

"My staff!"

Zuko slammed the door closed.

"Looks like I underestimated you…"

Zuko had the advantage here. They were in tight corners. The Avatar couldn't possibly be able to maneuver this area with those giant wings. Bending required a lot of space.

Or so he thought.

As Zuko fought, he quickly realized that he had never fought an airbender before and that all bending was very different. Every blast or fire, every movement, the Avatar was able to avoid. It was like trying to catch a feather in the wind. He suddenly couldn't see him. Where was he?

Suddenly pain shot through his spine. He stepped on my tail!

The prince was suddenly reminded of all the times in his childhood where his sister stepped on his tail. She loved taking advantage of Zuko's train and the disadvantage it gave him in combat. It wasn't enough that she could fly better than him. She also had to show she was a better fighter.

"Oh, sorry!" The weight lifted off his tail.

Anger filling his mind, he threw fireball after fireball at the boy. There was no way he was going to let him get away! He was going to prove himself! He was going to regain his honor!

It was then that the mattress slammed him into the wall and the avatar got away.

No! He can't get away! I need him.

The peacock jumped to his feet. He winced as the train pulled out from under the mattress. Some of his feathers were broken in the fight. He'll deal with that later. 

Zuko flew up the stairs just in time to see the Avatar open his wings wide. He's about to fly off! If the airbender took off, it was going to be harder for him to catch him. Zuko needed to act now. 

Well, will you look at that! The Flightless Prince thinks he can soar. 

A girl's voice rang through Zuko's head, but he pushed it aside and leaped after his enemy. With a war cry, he grabs the boy's ankle and abruptly shuts his wings, plummeting them both to the ground under his added body weight.

All the wind left him as he collided with the ground. Luckily their wings slowed their descent enough that they didn't break anything, but it still hurt. Prince Zuko got to his feet and made his way to the other boy. 

The avatar looked up, "Appa!"

Appa? He looked at where the other was. A giant… thing.. was flying towards them. It looked like a hippocow, but fluffier with arrows on its head. Two birdfolk sat on its back. What the spirits is that?! It was flying! Without wings! 

The albatross opened his wings again in an attempt to join his friends on the flying beast. Zuko panicked. He can't let him escape. He punched the air and blasted the avatar.

White feathers filled the air and the Avatar fell overboard into the water. There was nothing but silence. No. No. No. Did he drown? It wouldn't be the first time someone drowned after being thrown overboard. The sailors told Zuko many stories about how the Earth Kingdom would toss prisoners over. They would struggle to keep afloat, but eventually the weight of their wings would eventually be too much to handle and they would be dragged into the depths. Zuko tried to remember all the facts about air nomads he read about. The avatar was an albatross, right? He knew those were migratory, but are the waterfowl? Could they swim? He can't be dead. I need him alive! 

The water began to glow and a mighty whirlpool opened in the sea. The ship quivered and shook as a swirling column of water rose into the air. At the center, the avatar hovered. His tattoos shined white like a spirit. His face was blank. He didn't look like a child anymore. He looked like a threat. He looked like all the stories Zuko was told as a child about the avatar. The dangerous other worldly being that could easily kill any firebender without trying.

Water rushes at Zuko and the men who have gathered on the deck to assist him, knocking them all over board. Spirits! The prince manages to grasp onto the rail. If he fell into the water, he definitely would drown. 

The beast passes overhead, casting a shadow on the boat and Zuko can hear more voices. Must be those water tribe kids. The prince's muscles strain as he tries to pull his weight back onto the ship. The water the Avatar threw at him had made his wings and tail heavy.

The male Water savage poked his head over the side of the rail and yelped in surprise. The savage reached out with the avatar's staff and knocked the prince over the head, causing him to lose his grip. 

He prepared to feel the icy coldness of the arctic water, but didn't. Just cold steel. Oh, he must have caught himself.

The men in the water below didn't seem to be dead either. They looked like they were struggling a bit and really cold, but they weren't being dragged down to the depths. Serves me right listening to stupid sailors. They were trying to trick me again and make me look like a fool.

By the time Zuko manages to pull himself back onto the ship (with the help of his uncle), the Avatar is gone. He spends the next four hours drying out his feathers. All his men are already dried off by then and have already started the boat. Uncle Iroh doesn't let Zuko come out of his cabin at that time.

"Don't want your feathers to freeze together!" He jokes, though in the South Pole that was an actual possibility.

For the next few days, Zuko spent his time thinking about the avatar. He finally had a chance to regain his honor and go home. Next time he meets him, he will catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked the new chapter! I'm still learning how to write for this fandom and this character, but I think I did good. I personally aimed to make Zuko both seem like an angry and also scared teen, cuz like, he is a scared and angry teen. But, if yall have any tip, please give them!


End file.
